© Diego Drenoso/Shutterstock. A girl from the Huichol Tribe sits on  the ground while waiting for medical  check-up in Jalisco, Mexico.

From the book Learning at the bottom of the pyramid, Sylvia Shmelkes, makes the case for why we must not only rely on measuring learning outcomes, but also evaluate our progress in addressing factors that block the right to quality education for all.

All children learn. Learning and developing are synonyms, as pointed out by Argentine researcher Emilia Ferreiro. Children learn informally through observation, imitation, and experimentation. They learn by listening and by doing. In rural areas and among marginalized populations, this is the principal way in which children learn informally, since they have less access to the media, the internet, books, theatres, and museums. There is an infinite potential for learning. What is limited are the opportunities for doing so.

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